Mum of Britain's biggest family Sue Radford gives birth to baby number 22
The UK’s biggest family just got bigger after mum Sue Radford gave birth to her 22nd baby over the weekend.
The family shared the news on their Instagram page and said everyone had already fallen “in love” with the new arrival.
Alongside a sweet snapshot of their newborn’s tiny hand, they revealed that they welcomed their “beautiful baby girl into the world on Friday night”.
Read more: Pregnancy and birth care changing due to coronavirus: here's what you need to know
The newest addition to Sue and husband Noel’s supersized family, whose name is yet to be revealed, is happy and healthy and weighed in at 7lbs.
However, Sue, 45, admitted she was concerned about how the coronavirus pandemic would impact her birth.
She told The Sun: “I was more scared than I had ever been going into hospital with everything going on with the virus.
“I was so worried that Noel wouldn’t be allowed to stay with me.
“We have all been isolating and it seemed wrong to leave our safe bubble to go to a hospital, but when I got there I felt safe straight away.”
Read more: Twins born during coronavirus outbreak in India named 'Corona' and 'Covid'
Mums-to-be are facing an anxious time at the moment, with COVID-19 affecting pregnancy and birth measures.
Many pregnant women have been asked by their health authorities to attend antenatal appointments alone, and in certain hospitals birth partners will no longer be able to visit antenatal and postnatal wards to protect mothers and newborn babies from the spread of coronavirus.
Parents-to-be are now wondering if the measures could go further still by banning birth partners entirely.
One mum is so concerned, she has started a petition urging against birthing measures becoming more strict.
Thankfully, all went according to plan for the Radfords for the delivery at Royal Lancaster Infirmary, but coronavirus may also impact the registration of their newborn.
While the couple haven’t settled on a name, they are unable to register the baby yet anyway due to the pandemic.
Births are usually registered at a registry office in the district where the child is born, but authorities have postponed all registrations for the foreseeable future to adhere to social distancing rules.
Read more: Meet one of the first babies born during the coronavirus lockdown
Earlier this year Sue revealed she was finding her 22nd pregnancy “stressful” as a result of a the position of her unborn baby's placenta.
At the time she was 26 weeks into her pregnancy and revealed she had an anterior placenta, which means the placenta sits in front of the baby rather than behind.
The littlest Radford joins the rest of the clan: parents Sue and husband Noel, 49, and siblings Chris, 30, Sophie, 25, Chloe, 23, Jack, 22, Daniel, 20, Luke, 18, Millie, 17, Katie, 16, James, 15, Ellie, 14, Aimee, 13, Josh, 12, Max, 11, Tillie, nine, Oscar, seven, Casper, six, Hallie, three, Phoebe, two, Archie 18 months, and Bonnie, one.
